Abstract

The economic model based on the consumption of fossil fuels, mainly oil,
historically has fostered a growth of civilization, but it has not taken into account
the consequences for the environment, now beginning to be analyzed due to
the different impacts observed. It is necessary a clean energy production
worldwide.
In the current economic crisis, especially in southern Europe, one of the
challenges of change is the energy model, both to improve environmental
impacts and to improve the balance of payments, without losing
competitiveness. The first conditions that must have the new energy model
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promoted by the European Union (EU) are the savings, efficiency and clean
energy production, discussed in this article.
Renewable energies are inexhaustible and widely distributed. Its use in a higher
percentage than today, will impact less on the environment, improve the
balance of payments, and create new jobs.